Last week to see new exhibition by influential photographer

You know that famous scene in American Beauty when the camera follows a white plastic bag dancing on the breeze? When mainstream film goers saw something extraordinary in the very ordinary, perhaps for the first time? Well that scene owes a great debt to the American photographer William Eggleston.

For it was Eggleston who pioneered an informal photography style in the seventies where he transformed everyday scenes and objects, from old coke bottles to car parks in his hometown of Memphis, into things of beauty, simply by looking at them in a different way.

This time last year I didn’t know my Eggleston from my Einstein.  But now I’m getting into taking my own pictures, I feel the need to discover the great photographers (blog to follow soon on new Irving Penn exhibition at the National Portrait once I’ve been) if only for inspiration. And Eggleston certainly delivers on inspiration. He can find beauty in the simplest of things.  He showed you don’t have to shoot amazing architecture or lush landscapes to take emotional, thought-provoking pictures.

His current exhibition, 21^st Century, at the Victoria Miro gallery near Old St/Angel (shown simultaneously at Chelm & Read gallery in New York) includes many such pictures shot over the past decade. Who would think of photographing layers and layers of ice, coloured with age, in a store freezer and making it interesting? Or the pink hue of old curtains which blanket a Cuban bathroom with an enchanting, barely-there glow?

Many professional and amateur photographers have tried to emulate Eggleston but few have succeeded in capturing moments in (everyday) life as magically as he does. Now in his seventies, he’s still able to use light and vivid colour (he’s also known as a father of colour photography) to create dreamlike, otherworldly pictures.  Humour also features in his work – look out for the flying santa.

If you are in any way interested in photography, this exhibition is not to be missed. It runs at Victoria Miro until Saturday 27th February (open Tuesday to Saturday).

Salon Appointment

I love the idea of a salon. Not the hair type where the conversation is of holidays and X Factor. No, I mean the brainy sort where intellectuals and creatives gather to share ideas and increase their knowledge of the world, lubricated by copious amounts of drinking. I like to put the world to rights on a Saturday night so why not validly do it in like-minded company on a Wednesday as well? And talk about concepts other than X Factor.

So off I went to the first Future Human "salon" at The Book Club in Old Street where the theme was "Advertising at the Frontiers of Consciousness".  I knew it was going to be an unusual evening when I saw what the projector was propped up on. A game of Kerplunk and another of Scrabble.

Things got off to an interesting start when science fiction writer Matt D'Abaitua shared his thoughts on a rather scary future for advertising and marketing. From what he intimated, Google is taking over the world. It only bought U.S. phone directory service 411 so it could build up a database of phonemes (small units of sound to you and me) from people's phone calls. It's creating an unrivalled voice recognition service on the web which it intends to sell advertising against (totally cornering the market) like it's done with its AdWords.

Using neuro-marketing, advertisers are already able to target our often hidden desires and wishes more accurately by scanning people's brains as they watch ads. MRI scans have been used commercially since the 1990s apparently. According to another speaker, Professor Gemma Calvert, focus groups aren't accurate because people rarely tell the truth. But soon, says D'Abaitua, advertisers will know how to personalise ads to cater exactly to each individual's interests and life, because they'll have read our minds.

The most fascinating part of the evening for me (apart from the hilarious twitterfall where someone was asked out while another touted himself about for work) was the psychological analysis of a few TV ads by the panel and audience. Apparently says Professor Calvert, the 118 118 ads became such a phenomenon because the two 70s anti-heroes were a "meme".This means an idea that propagates such as a song melody or a fashion statement i.e. something that sticks in our collective consciousness.

It all got a bit too intellectual for some people who left before the end, which is a shame. I thought Future Human threw up some interesting ideas and insights into the dark arts of advertising and marketing. While Jedi Mind Tricks aren't being played on us just yet, they're a strong possibility in future. May the force be with you.

Himalaya Film & Cultural Festival

Sometimes you just want to see a film that takes you away. To somewhere hot if it's cold, somewhere fascinating if you're bored, somewhere unfamiliar if your world feels too small.

Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells is one such film. Evocative and beautifully shot, it follows a depressed Korean businessman (played by Choi Min-sik) who travels to Nepal on a whim to visit the family of an illegal immigrant killed in an accident in Korea. What follows is a rare insight into a family's routines and rituals in a remote part of Nepal.

It may be fiction but it's one of those films that makes you feel that you're almost there. The fluttering of colourful prayer flags, the tinkling of horse bells, the low grunts of farm animals and the jaw-dropping Himalayan backdrop. In fact, heading out of Rich Mix on a Friday night into a Shoreditch in full party mode was a bit of shock. I wanted to turn round and be back in Nepal.

Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells was the opening film of the Himalaya Film & Cultural Festival. Thankfully we can escape from a rainy London to the Himalayas for the next few days, courtesy of this festival, the first of its kind in the UK. Films (and accompanying talks) from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tibet will be shown at Rich Mix throughout the week.

“People in the UK have heard of the Himalaya but a lot of the region’s coverage is based on a few well-worn stories like Mount Everest and the Gurkhas. While these are important, the Himalaya are much more diverse than that, " says Taran Wilkhu, Director of Projects, who helped set up the festival.

"With large communities from Afghanistan, Kashmir, Nepal and other parts of the Himalaya living in the UK, we wanted to raise awareness of life and culture in the region beyond the usual stereotypes. This includes the exposure of film and other art and media, and the direct, grassroots educational initiatives we are also involved in.”

Some films will be UK premieres while others like the Kite Runner are well known. Live music from traditional and modern musicians can be heard at the Nehru Centre,  Mayfair and Passing Clouds, Dalston while art and photography exhibitions from international artists will be shown at The Sweet Tea House, Bethnal Green and the Nehru Centre.

The Himalaya film and cultural festival runs until Friday 12th February. See the website for the full programme of events.